Page 2 (1/2)

"Buddy!" Marsha screa her with her body

"Get her out of here!" I shouted, afraid to move The spell had been invoked, but it hadn’t fastened on its intended victim It was a loose cannon, and it was trapped in here with !" the woman protested, ith fear as Ivy manhandled her into the hallway "Buddy! Buddy!"

Slowly I realized I was unhurt Buddy, thoughWincing, I looked at the dog, prostrate and beginning to shake He wasn’t dead, and he wasn’t a dog It was her boyfriend, Luke

I hate va what had happened So and tacked a secondary spell on to him that would kill theone, but until the spell found Marsha, it wouldn’t invoke fully I had a chance

"Marsha!" I stood, carefully watching the energy flow as I broke my own circle "Where do you keep your salt?"

"Stay put," Ivy snarled "Tell me"

"In the cupboard beside the stove!" the woman sobbed from the hallway "What happened? Buddy? Buddy!"

I ran to the kitchen and snapped on the faucet "It’s not your dog, it’s your boyfriend"

Maybe that had been a mistake, since the woman totally freaked out "Luke!" she screamed "Oh God, Luke!"

"Stay in the hall!" Ivy shouted, and the sounds of a struggle grew louder

Salt, saltI thought, pulse fast as I found abowl and dropped it into the sink "Don’t let her touch him! If she touches him, they both die!"

"Luke!" the woed a nail under the spout and ripped it right out Hands shaking, I shook it into theto be okay?" Jenks asked, his dust pooling on the surface and running like ed, and I gave the salt water a quick stir, tasting it before I picked up the bowl The wo, terrified My heart went out to her Vampire masters were sons of bitches Every last one of them "Help him!" she screamed, her perfect face twisted in terror Ivy held her, and I moved fast, bowl of salt water before me

"Stay back," I warned as I stood over the little white dog and dumped it Water splashed, and Marsha backed up, white faced and breathless I had no idea if the entire concentration was optih to not just turn him human, but to break the lethal char vanished behind a thick puff of brown-and-blue aura-tainted energy "Luke!" Marsha screah spells break to know this was norrew to man size Slowly the mist broke up to show a naked, bruised, and beaten asp of air He was going to e of the cushy couch, elbows on my knees and head dropped into hed The salt water had ruined them I’d tack it on to Marsha’s bill, but I didn’t think she had theto survive

"You can touch hi over him

Frantic, she dropped to her knees Water squished froushed, oblivious that he was covered in salt water "Did he hurt you?"

By the bruises, clearly someone--probably his own master--had, but he raised a shaky hand and brushed her cheek "I’ ht of him, his black hair plastered to his face and his eyes not quite open It hurt like the devil to shift with earth ic, but his toned, athletic, and beaten body covered in easily hidden scars looked as if it was used to pain

Crying, Marsha cradled his head to herself and rocked him I wondered how many scars were hidden behind Marsha’s expensive clothes This sucked Va, but it was a lie My eyes shifted to Ivy, seeing her inner struggle A big fat ugly lie

The clatter of Jenks’s wings was a short warning as he landed on rumped

"That’s because he was one" I plucked atuncomfortably to me The question wasn’t how, but why Why had two minor vampire camarillas spent this much on a double-whammy spell like this on a simple Romeo and Juliet? It was expens-s-s-sive

Ivy was in the hall to convince the neighbors nothing was going on It didn’t take much Clearly they were familiar with the situation Not happy, Ivy shut the door and stomped into the kitchen to turn the faucet off

"I’ woman stretched for a blanket to cover hiain, I went to a witch She said she could turnso I could be with you No one would knoasroo far past what thethe last, she sat across froht, worried

"I didn’t care if I was a dog," Luke continued, his eyes still not open as his hand gripped hers "I knew you wouldn’t leave Buddy" His eyes opened, and I stared They were the clearest shade of blue I’d ever seen "I love you, Marsha I’d do anything for you Anything!" Crying, he pulled himself into a ball in her ar the chared a worried look This was bad, but we couldn’t just walk away Jenks, too, was looking ill, and he moved to the decorative bowl of pinecones on the coffee table He’d loved and lostith him either But it wasn’t one master vampire we’d have to outwit, but two

Ivy was still silent, and I sourly thought of my bank account "You think we should help them?" I said softly, and Jenks’s dust shifted to a hopeful yellowish pink

Ivy didn’t look at me The couple on the floor was silent

"You think we should help the it a statement

Ivy’s eyes flicked up I could see her treht She’d done so , and it chewed on her in the small hours My heart ached for her skewed view of herself, and I wished she could see herself as I did This would rub the guilt out--for a tiasped, her tear-wet eyes suddenly full of hope where there’d been only despair Jenks’s wings hu weakly "But I don’t knoe can do"